Vermont Route 74
Route 74 (VT 74) is a 13.26-mile (21.34 km)-long state highway in Addison County in the U.S. state of Vermont. It begins in the west at the New York state line in Shoreham at the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, where New York State Route 74 (NY 74) terminates from the west of Lake Champlain. There, the seasonal Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry carries cars across the state border into New York, where NY 74 starts at the lake's western shore and terminates 20.45 miles (32.91 km) later at a junction with exit 28 on Interstate 87 (I-87) in the hamlet town of Schroon. VT 74 terminus in the east in Cornwall at a junction with VT 30. NY 74 is a descendant of the historic Ticonderoga and Schroon Turnpike, which was a privately owned highway chartered in 1832, and segments of it follow the alignment of the original 19th-century turnpike. The connecting ferry route, predating both NY 74 and VT 74, began operation in 1759 on an informal basis. The ferry operation was formalized at the close of the 18th century and upgraded to a cable system in 1946. Due to extensive changes in designations in both states during the 20th century, the entire length of the present highway consists of renamed segments from other highways. The New York portion of the cross-state Route 74 west of Ticonderoga was designated as part of NY 73 in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, while the Vermont section carried several different designations from the 1920s to the late 1930s, when it became solely part of Vermont Route F-9. NY 73 was extended east to Lake Champlain in the 1950s—replacing New York State Route 347—and VT F-9 was split into VT 73 and VT 74 shortly afterward. The Schroon–Ticonderoga highway was redesignated as NY 74 c. 1973 after NY 73 was cut back to its current eastern terminus in Elizabethtown. Route description After crossing the state line from State Route 74 in New York via the Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry, VT 74 begins its track into Vermont. The highway heads a short distance to the north, passing a thinly populated area in Shoreham, as intermittent forest yields to fields and farmlands. After 0.49 miles (790 m) from the border, VT 74 intersects with VT 73 before encountering Barnum Hill Road. Near the Barnum Hill intersection, VT 74 passes developed areas and bends more toward the north. VT 74 then turns to the northeast at Smith Street and enters a patch of forest. Afterward VT 74 climbs a hill and intersects with Harrington Hill Road where it turns northward once again. Fields and forests surround this thinly populated stretch of highway. At the intersection with Basin Harbor Road, VT 74 turns to the east and heads toward downtown Shoreham. Within central Shoreham, VT 74 is known as Main Street and has a short concurrency with VT 22A. As VT 74 leaves the densely populated portion of Shoreham, the concurrency ends and VT 74 takes an eastward turn toward Cornwall. As VT 74 returns to the rural countryside, it bends toward the northeast for most of the distance to Cornwall. Through this stretch of highway winds through forests and occasional farmland. VT 74 straightens at an intersection with Bates Road. A connector road called North Palmer Road merges with VT 74 shortly afterward. VT 74 winds again for a stretch and straightens a second time near the intersection with Elmendorf Road as it continues toward Cornwall, intersecting with several township highways and approaching increasingly residential areas. At Clark Road in Cornwall, VT 74 turns to the northeast once again, passing through more forests before terminating at VT 30 in Cornwall. Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry The Fort Ticonderoga–Larrabees Point Ferry is the oldest and southernmost ferry on Lake Champlain. Its cable system consists of two 1.1-inch (2.8 cm) steel cables in parallel alignment. The current ferry barge, in operation since 1959, is powered by a sixteen-ton tugboat built in 1979 that can hold up to 18 cars. The seasonal ferry route is half a mile long and operates from May through October. The seven-minute passage operates during daylight hours. See also * New York State Route 74 Category:Vermont Route 74 Category:Vermont Routes Category:Highways and roads Category:State Highways Category:New York State Route 74 Category:Vermont Route System Category:Highways numbered 74